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And now, the latest installment in our occasional (read: one-time-only) series, Remember the Time. Today’s post is entitled “Remember the Time Public Enemy Defended MLK Day Using Violent Artistic Resistance?”

Believe it or not, there was a time when the idea of a government holiday in honor of Dr. King was controversial. John McCain, a man who persuaded 45.7% of the national electorate that he should be president as recently as five years ago, initially opposed it. As did his home-state governor, Evan Mecham, who actually canceled the holiday in Arizona in 1987 after it had already been instituted by executive order of the previous governor. As late as 1990, voters in the state opposed the holiday on a ballot measure.

Market capitalism has had a rough few months, and everyone seems to be piling on. It lost the bankers to corporate bailouts and now it may lose its most vocal and culturally important spokesmen: the rappers.

The new single from the production team N.A.S.A. manages to lure Chuck D out of obscurity for an impressive verse, and that’s a MOTH you’re hearing on the chorus, but the song—titled “Money”—doesn’t seem to think too highly of the stuff. In fact, it’s downright skeptical. Maybe it's Shepard Fairey's video, but the paper chase comes out looking pretty unseemly. And if we can’t believe in material wealth, what’s left to rap about?